I Heard Your Voice In A Dream
by music-is-the-only-drug-i-need
Summary: Sonfic Oneshot based off of the song "I Heard Your Voice In a Dream" from Smash. Rachel left Puck to find herself, will she come back or is it just a dream? And if she does, will he wait for her? Future Fic. I don't own anything but the plot.


**Random one shot that stuck in my head. This is a songfic based on the song "I Heard Your Voice In A Dream" from Smash, that was recently canceled. I highly recommend you listen to the song, its absolutely beautiful. (Plus you can't go wrong when Jeremy Jordan starts singing)**

**I'd also like to dedicate this to Cory Monteith, even though it's a Puckleberry fic. My thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones, he will be missed. RIP**

**~0~**

6 years. It had been six years since the day Rachel left Noah to let him go to 'find herself'. He still remembers it, though, like it was yesterday.

He came home to their cozy shared apartment one day with a bottle of champagne in hand and a grin on his face. When Noah got a text from her earlier that saying that she had some news, he knew that it was about the audition, he just knew it. So, you can imagine his confusion when he walked into the dimly lit dining room to find her, Rachel, sitting down in one of the chairs with her head in her hands, and tears on her face.

"Rachel, baby?" he asked. "Whats wrong? I thought you were gonna tell me you got the part.."

Rachel sniffled and looked up at him, not quite meeting his eyes. "No, I didn't get the part. And that's actually what I want to t-talk to you about."

Noah frowned and dropped his stuff on the floor behind him before crouching down to her level searching her eyes for something, anything, that would tell him what was going on.

"Rachel, you're scaring me. Whats up?" he asked worriedly.

"Noah, that was the 200th audition I've been to, and it was also the 200th time I've been rejected. Don't you think something should have come around by now? Anything? A ensemble roll, a teeny tiny part, even and understudy gig? Nothing has Noah, and it's been 2 years. 2 damn years of chasing some stupid pipe dream. I'm done with being rejected over and over again. And I think.. I-I think its time for me to find something to fall back on, something more productive. I can't do it anymore." she said, emotions spiraling in all directions.

Noah ran a hand over his head where the infamous mohawk used to be and then grabbed her hands.

"Are you sure about this? Is it what you really want? You know that whatever you choose to do I will always be by your side, no matter what, right? I love you so much."

Rachel laughed humorlessly. "Oh, Noah, sweet sweet Noah, I know that. And I'm afraid that is the problem. I carted you all around New York trying to figure out my life, and never stopped to think that you had dreams you longed to pursue too, and that you deserved so much more than how I treated you. Noah, I'm leaving. I'm setting you free. I need some time to find myself, and you need to start doing what you want without me holding you back."

Noah was crying now. "Rachel stop. No! You cant! You cant leave me! I love you so much, you're my everything, and you always will be, just please, think this over. You don't realize that I never went out to chase my dreams was because they were coming true every single time I looked at you!"

He pleaded to her but she bit her lip, struggling to stay calm.

"No, Noah. I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind. I'm already packed, so please, please don't try and stop me."

She stood up and walked into the bedroom and reached for her suitcase on the bed. She jumped slightly when his large hand caught her wrist.

"Rachel look at me!" he said brokenly.

She looked up and he let go for a moment, but when her did she picked the large item up and walked to the front door.

"Are you really leaving?"

"Yes," she said softly. "I'll miss you though, Noah. I love you. Always will."

His eyes were filled with so much pain. "Then stay baby, we can work this out! I promise."

Rachel put her hand on the doorknob. "I just can't, not now. There's-There's a letter, under your pillow. Do me a favor and don't read it until you are ready though, ok? It'll explain some things, I hope." And with that, she walked out the door leaving a sobbing Noah behind her.

And that, was the day that Rachel left Noah, two months and eleven days before their 5 year anniversary, the anniversary when Noah planned on proposing..

_I thought I was hopeless, I thought I was broken  
I struggled to laugh when the whole room was joking  
I waited in the cold, but the door wouldn't open 'til I  
'Til I heard your voice in a dream_

The time Noah spent in the wake of Rachel's departure was full of crying, sleepless nights of tossing and turning, and lots of friends trying to comfort him to no avail. The letter remained on the bedside table, still untouched. She told him to wait until he was ready, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he wasn't. So it remained there, through all the hopeless, broken thoughts, until the day of their important anniversary. That night he sat there where she told him that she was leaving him, with a beer, an engagement ring, and the envelope that contained the letter.

**Dear Noah, **

It read,

**I really do hope that you obeyed what I said and waited to read this. I have no idea how long its been since that night, but I really want you to know that whether it's days, months, even years, since we last saw each other, you are on my mind. You always will be too. I left because I couldn't live with myself anymore knowing deep down that I was holding you back. And you don't deserve that. Your'e the most selfless person I've ever met, and I really hope that in this soul searching trip I'm on is helping me, but most importantly letting you achieve what you deserve. You've come so far, and I love you, so so very much. On this inside of the envelope I've written an address to a cheap apartment I bought using my trust fund. If I ever decide to come back, I'll be there. If you ever go past and the light is on in the top floor corner, I'm there. I'll wait for you. Don't come if you have what you want Noah, if you go and find another girl and charm her into loving you, or if you found something you love more than you ever loved me, you don't need to see me. Maybe though, I wont come back. You never know. I don't know anything anymore. **

**Love, **

**Rachel.***

Noah jumped up from his seat and peered inside of the envelope. Sure enough, there was an address written on it. He plugged it into the GPS on his phone, grabbed his keys, jacket, and then jumped into his car.

He drove until he found the building, it looked for the most part empty, but it wasn't like it was a complete dump, The windows were old and the bricks were crumpling in small places, but it sat there, solid, unaware of what it know meant to him. Scanning his eyes up the ivy to the top row of windows, he noticed that no lights were on. And Rachel, was not there, not today.

When he got home he put the engagement ring back on the chain around his neck, and went into the bedroom. He sat on the bed and started to take his shoes off, looking around the room. It was a mess, Rachel would've hated it. Rachel wasn't there though. Her memories were, her old hair products, some of her shoes, clothes were too, her scent was could barely be recognized on her pillow, but she was still gone.

When Noah fell asleep after finding his small glimmer of hope that Rachel might return, he had a dream. A dream that one day he drove past the apartment building, and the light was on. The light was shining bright through the grimy windows, and when he raced up the stairs and stood in front of the door he heard her beautiful melodic voice singing softly. He knocked softly and right when the door was opening, he woke up.

Visibly shaken from the lifelike dream, Noah sat breathing heavily in the bed lit only by moonlight, and he had no idea that the dream he just had would reoccur nearly every time her shut his eyes.

_And nothing comes easy when everyone's rushing_  
_The signal's got speed but there's no real connection_  
_I tried reaching out but it was just my reflection 'til I_  
_'Til I heard your voice in a dream_

Months passed, and Noah slowly but surely began to return to life. Sure, whenever someone said her name he flinched and left the room, and he still slept with her pillow every night, but had began to start training to become a police officer. He had thought of the idea in the past couple of years, and now he thought the time was right to pursue a career that he could help people, something he really found joy in. Every day on his way home from work or training he would drive past the apartment Rachel bought. And every day, there was never a light on. And every night when he got home and fell asleep he dreamed the same dream, and every single time when the door was opening he either woke up, or couldn't remember any more.

More time passed, and soon he was graduating from the NYPD training program. He was finally a cop. His friends supported him through and through, and every once and awhile he went on a date or two. They never lasted long though. No girl could ever compare to Rachel, never.

One night almost a year and a half since Rachel left, Noah was particularly in the dumps after having to shoot a man on the job. The guy was a major druggie, and had a hold on a 14 year old boy who was being forced into helping him. The only shot he could take to save the kid was a kill shot, and even though the druggie was a terrible person who killed many more, Noah couldn't help but feel bad about taking someones life.

So, when he drove past the same place he did every night, he almost didn't notice the light on in the top floor, corner window. _Almost._

He actually drove right on past before glancing at the building in his rear view mirror before jerking to a stop. He made a quick U-Turn and pulled into a parking space in front of the building. He dashed into the front lobby doors when the man behind the desk called at him.

"Excuse me sir, where do you think you're going?" he asked. "I will call the police."

That's when the man noticed Noah in his uniform. He flashed a badge at the guy.

"I am the police." he said.

The man quickly nodded. "Is there something I can do for you officer?" he asked.

Noah spoke fast. "I need to go see the person who owns one of the apartments on the top floor. It's really important."

"Rachel Berry?"

Noah's eyes lit up with hope, he let out a long breathe he didn't realize he was holding. "Yes, yes I need to see Rachel Berry."

The desk man got up and took out a fob from his pocket. He waved it in front of the doors to the stair well and let Noah through.

"If I find out you're not who you say you are, I'm calling the cops." he said glaringly.

"No need," he said, before racing up the stairs, to see the girl he will always love.

He stood in front of the door, a small thin line of light coming through the bottom. She was in there, he knew. He could hear the sound of her voice singing softly just like it had been in his dreams. Oh, how he missed that voice.

Wait. Was he dreaming? He looked around and then pinched himself, hoping that he'd feel something. He did, and it hurt. But it was the best pain he had ever felt in his life.

So, he knocked, and the door opened.

_So sing to me and I will forgive you_  
_For taking my heart in the suitcase you packed_  
_Sing to me like the lights didn't blind you_  
_Like you blinded me when I heard your voice in a dream_

"Rachel?" he asked right as Rachel asked "Noah?"

"Oh, God! Rachel!" he cried as her threw his arms around her. "I missed you so much," he added softly.

"I missed you too, Noah. Uhm.. would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about don't we?" he said, thinking aloud.

"We do," she murmured. "Would you like anything to drink?"

He looked around the mostly deserted apartment. It had a couple pieces of dusty furniture, and there was nothing on the walls. No, TV, no decor, no signs that it was actually a home to Rachel. Nothing that told him she had been there for long.

"No," he said in reply to her question.

She saw him looking around, and answered his thoughts for her.

"I just arrived back today. Haven't had time to unpack, or make this place livable, yet."

He nodded and looked into her eyes. "Gosh, Rachel. Where have you been?"

She took his wrist and led him to sit down on the couch after pulling a white sheet off of it.

"I went to Lima for a couple weeks right when I left... I saw Jesse St. James... and I went back to L.A with him." she started to explain.

Noah stiffened, "So, are you.. are you two a-a," he choked out.

Rachel giggled, "A couple? Gosh no! St. James came out of the closet years ago!"

Noah relaxed and just looked at her for awhile. "What?" she asked.

"I just really missed your laugh, your smile, everything." he said sincerely.

Rachel blushed and looked him up and down. "You couldn't have been missing me that bad, look at you! Officer Puckerman. That's got a nice ring to it."

He smiled proudly at her. "Yeah, well what about you? What did you decide on doing in the year and a half you've been gone?"

She flashed him a smile that was just as proud as his. "I went and taught dance classes with Jesse. And I found that I really liked that, but I wanted to take it further. I'm back here to teach dance at a program that helps inner city kids in different areas."

Noah looked shocked. "That's amazing Rachel! I'm so proud of you. I'm glad you found something you love to do again."

"And I'm happy you found something you love too." she smiled at him.

"I still feel like something is missing though," he added.

She frowned. "Whats that?" she inquired.

"You." he said, bluntly.

She smiled her mega-watt smile. "So, you're not super mad? You don't hate me for leaving?"

"Depends."

Rachel rose a eyebrow. "On what?"

"Sing for me."

_And I could have loved you but you had the hunger_  
_For life in the lights, so when they called your number_  
_I couldn't compete with the spell you were under_  
_Still I, I hear your voice in my dreams_

_So sing to me and I will forgive you  
For taking my heart in the suitcase you packed  
Sing to me like the lights didn't blind you  
Like you blinded me when I heard your voice in a dream_

_I thought I could love you but you had the hunger_

_Oh, and nothing comes easy when everyone's rushing_

_I thought I could love you, I thought I could love you_

They talked all throughout the night, catching up, Noah even explained the dreams he had, and how he felt when she left. And she told him how broken she was as well, for hurting him. And when Noah announced that he was taking her back home, she nodded quickly and threw her stuff in the back of his car with out complaint. It wasn't until they were laying in _their _bed in _their _home facing each other when Rachel asked him what she had been thinking all night.

"Why'd you wait for me? It was a year and a half, and you never gave up hope?" she asked nervously.

"I always thought I could love you. Always. That never stopped." he said eyes sparking with truth.

Rachel frowned. "You thought?"

Noah shook his head. "No, I knew."

With that, he crashed his lips on to hers, and everything else just fell into place.

**~0~**

**Well, that was that. Hope you liked it! R&R **


End file.
